The Mysterious Cake

See, it's a sandal. Like, you know, beachware. Hawaii, man.

The kids (and others?) couldn't figure it out, until I gave a pretty big hint and pointed at my foot.

I think it was creative and fun. 

Baseball Game

RKCP's company had a Giants outing two weeks ago. We loaded up SC* and headed to San Francisco.

In the parking lot, we got to experience a "tailgate party". There were no cars or tailgates involved, but lots of good catered food and drink.

For the game, we were seated in the bleachers, behind right field, near the giant mitt. We watched the game for a while; Barry Bonds got homer number 721. Then the kids wanted to go and experience the neat kid friendly stuff. The picture shows EJP running the bases after getting a hit at the kids' diamond. SKGP also belted one. We went down the slides.

On our way out, they let kids run the actual bases. What a neat idea! As we stood in line, I wanted to touch the grass to experience a professional field, so I did. Boy, did I get yelled at -- they don't kid around about the grass. The kids rounded the bases, and we drove home.

The game didn't end well for the Giants, but we had fun.

*SC = Suck Chin, the car.  

Fan Mail: Another name that translates poorly

That's right, her name is Porntip. 

EJP Quotes

(Time warp)

I found a note dated 7/27/2006 with a couple quotes from EJP:

"Hey watch out lady, I'm making mud here." (To Gram, I believe)

"I can't do a somersault, but I can look at bugs."

The Fog

It's here! Finally, the fog has rolled in and saved us from the oppressive heat. Hooray! The Garlic Festival might not be an oven.

Aloha!

Last Saturday, we celebrated SKGP's 6th birthday. Months ago, she had chosen to have a Hawaiian theme.

The guests were:

• Emily
• Kiley
• Olivia
• Audrey
• Meghan
• Jake
• Noah
• Noah's brother
  
• EJP

We began with lei making (or hat decorating for the boys). We moved on to a limbo contest, which was a big hit and its pretty amazing how flexible little girls are. Lunch, presents, cake. Since it was about 108, we did a little slip-n-slide and water baloon toss and sent the kids home.

The cake was shaped like a flip flop.

It was a lot of fun and I think the kids enjoyed themselves.

Fencesitters

As I drive to and from work, pondering life's mysteries and hearing the news of the world, I consider the fencesitters of the world. As I cruise, I see them everywhere. They are small and furry, with big fluffly tales.

Along the chain link fence on the side of the highway, squirrels relax and watch traffic go by. They're cute. On a typical drive, I see as many as 15. Look for it next time you're between Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

Now That's Hot!

As we dropped out of the mountains into Imperial County, the Mercury's thermometer began to rise. Three grown men were driving through the desert with their eyes glued to a little green readout on the dash.

We started in the 90's. When we hit the valley floor, it was 105. As we crossed the desert, it inexorably ticked away the numbers. It plateaued at 115 for a while, then continued ever higher. Finally, we crossed into 118, beating my personal record of 117. A few minutes later, we hit 119 briefly, then back down. Then 119 stuck.

We stopped at the rest area and experienced the heat without the air conditioner protecting us. It was like a sauna. Not the metaphorical "like"; the "like" that means it had all the characteristics of a sauna.

We continued our drive. We figured we had hit the top, since we were leaving the raw desert and entering agricultural land that has lots of water to cool it. Unexpectedly, as we got close to El Centro, the little digital readout suddenly blipped and told us it was 120 degrees outside. A shout of triumph went up in the car.

It's Hot

This afternoon, Suck Chin told me it was 117 degrees out. This ties my personal record, from an Imperial Valley trip. Tomorrow, I'm going back to the Imperial Valley, and it seems likely that this record will be shattered.

Another tooth

Already? Yup, yesterday after dinner another tooth dropped out of SKGP's head. She has been paid off.

Tooth

SKGP lost her first tooth and the Tooth Fairy took it away. 3 more are loose right now.

Gymnastics Camp: EJP's Obstacle Course

.. and EJP had a nice routine too. :)

Gymnastics Camp: SKGP's Bar Routine

Last week, the kids were in gymnastics camp all week. On Friday, they did a program to show off their talents. Here's what SKGP was able to do on the bars. We are incredibly proud of how much she has learned and how diligent she is. I wasn't able to make it, but I hear she did the best show. Judge for yourself.